Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis will be the league’s least-experienced starting QB in Week 1, when the AFC East team plays the Las Vegas Raiders. Willis will be under center to kick off the Dolphins’ rebuild after the franchise released Tua Tagovailoa, let Mike McDaniel go, and hired Jeff Hafley as the head coach.
On Monday, Willis explained how he rose from having six NFL starts in four seasons to becoming the Dolphins’ starter on a lucrative three-year, $67.5 million deal.
Malik Willis Addresses Criticism From Titans Stop
During an appearance on “The Volume” podcast, Willis detailed how he dealt with limited playing time in Tennessee earlier in his career.
“Either you’re going to be all nervous and scared, or you’re going to go out with a bang. I was like, I’m going to go out with a bang if I’m going to go,” Willis said.
“I played three games in Tennessee. I started three games, bro. And it was like, ‘Oh, that’s it.’ I see guys get like 20 games to play and get better. I got three games, and it’s, ‘Oh, it’s over with.
“That was trash.’ I’m like, dang, I ain’t even get to play. I had to learn. So what can you do? You can get better. You can not worry about that stuff. You just try to keep getting better. Keep getting better.”
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Willis played college football for the Auburn Tigers and the Liberty Flames before the Titans selected him with the No. 86 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He backed up Ryan Tannehill in his rookie season and continued to play sporadically in his second year.
Willis was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2024 and backed up Jordan Love in Wisconsin for two seasons before signing with the Dolphins.
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The quarterback further spoke about being a backup to Love in Wisconsin and how the experience helped to launch his career.
“In Green Bay, I don’t get to play till Week 16. So what I’m doing every day, I’m going against our defense,” Willis said. “I’m trying to keep getting better. I’m trying to challenge them like they try to challenge me. It helped me learn and it helped me grow. If you don’t take advantage of those opportunities, you’re disrespecting yourself at that point.”
In four games for the Packers last season, Willis tallied 422 passing yards on 85.7% completion and 3 touchdowns, adding 123 rushing yards and 2 scores. The quarterback will have his hands full steering the Dolphins’ offense, which earned a PFN Offense Impact score of 70.7 (No. 25 in the NFL) last season.
